New Concert Suggests How Post-COVID-19 Seating Charts Might Work

An upcoming show by Travis McCready of up-and-coming country rock group Bishop Gunn could possibly foreshadow how concerts will take place in a post-COVID-19 world.

As reported by Billboard, McCready is set to play TempleLive in Fort Smith, Ark., next Friday (May 15), three days before Arkansas' ban on live performances will be lifted. The 1,100-seat venue is reducing its capacity by 80 percent, to 229 people, with tickets being sold in "fan pods" -- groups of 2-13 seats that have been placed at least six feet apart, and must be purchased together.

All who attend will be required to wear face masks, which can be purchased on-site if necessary, and have their temperature taken before being allowed into the theater. TempleLive will be sanitized prior to the show with fog sprayers and all walkways will be one-way, per the guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control. Beverages will either be pre-packaged or sold in containers with lids.

There will be a 10-person limit in each bathroom, with soap and paper towel dispensers being operable without having to touch them, and some restroom fixtures will be closed in order to maintain social distancing guidelines. Employees will wipe down all touch points in the restroom and throughout the venue. You can read all the guidelines at Ticketmaster's listing for the event.

Bishop Gunn were formed in 2016, releasing a self-titled EP that year and a full-length album named after their Mississippi hometown, Natchez, in 2018. Over the course of their brief career, they've opened up for Lynyrd Skynyrd, Slash and the Struts, and been in the lineup for two of Kid Rock's cruises.